Legal Speak Translation

As lawyers, clients, and legal translators can all tell you, legal speak (or terms or jargon) is one of the most easily confusing aspects of a trial, as words that sound like one thing can mean something different, and very specific, when used in a legal sense.

If you have a contract, legal document, or other project that requires a legal speak translator, be sure to find an experienced, professional translator who can translate legal speak in a way that is both understandable by all parties and also legally acceptable to the court. If you send your documents to us for translation, we promise your translator will be experienced in legal translation and speak your project's target language natively to guarantee the quality and accuracy of your completed translation, and can provide a certified translation services to back that claim up.

If you're a client dealing with legal speak translation or a translator working on a project, here are just a few words you may come across which have dinstinct and important legal definitions that may differ from what you expect:

acquittal

Judgment that a criminal defendant has not demonstrated guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

beyond a reasonable doubt

Standard required to convict a criminal defendant.

continuance

Choice by a judge to delay trial date.

default judgment

A judgment rendered in light of the defendant's inability to answer or show up.

exculpatory evidence

Evidence which demonstrates the defendant's innocence.

felony

A wrongdoing invlving a punishment of over a year in jail.

indictment

A formal charge issued by a jury expressing that there is sufficient evidence that the litigant perpetrated the wrongdoing to legitimize having a trial.

litigation

A lawsuit, controversy, or case.

misdemeanor

Normally a frivolous offense or less serious wrongdoing.

nolo contendere

No contest; a guilty plea that does not admit to wrongdoing.

opinion

A judge's explanation of a choice of the court.

probable cause

A measure of doubt suggesting certain facts are presumably valid.

remand

When a higher court sends a case back to a lower court.

sequester

To separate a jury from public influences.

tort

A common wrong or breach of an obligation to someone else, as outlined by law.

writ

A formal and written command by the court to execute a particular task.

Always be sure you understand what the words truly mean by their legal definitions when dealing with courts and government agencies! It will only save you time and money in the long run.